Advertisement

Advertisement

climate change mitigation

Caring for Patients and the Planet: Strategies for Sustainable Primary Care

Teaser: 

Kelachi Nsitem, MSc (Clin Epi), MD Candidate,1 Sean D Christie, MD, FRCSC,2

1McMaster University, Class of 2028
2Head, Division of Neurosurgery and Sustainability Leader, Dalhousie University and Nova Scotia Health.


CLINICAL TOOLS

Abstract: Primary care plays a pivotal role in reducing healthcare’s environmental footprint while maintaining high-quality, patient-centred care. Clinician decisions regarding diagnostic testing, medication and operational workflows directly and indirectly influence resource use, carbon emissions and overall planetary health. This paper explores strategies to promote sustainable primary care, organized into clinical and non-clinical domains. Clinical interventions include minimizing low-value care and adopting appropriate, environmentally-conscious prescribing practices. Non-clinical approaches focus on virtual care, operational efficiency, and sustainable procurement. Tailoring strategies to practice context and team capacity enables feasible implementation, yielding benefits for both patient outcomes and environmental sustainability.
Key Words: sustainable healthcare, primary care, environmental impact, climate change mitigation, population health.

Members of the College of Family Physicians of Canada may claim MAINPRO-M2 Credits for this unaccredited educational program.

www.cfpc.ca/Mainpro_M2

You can take quizzes without subscribing; however, your results will not be stored. Subscribers will have access to their quiz results for future reference.

Pre-test CME Quiz Post-test CME Quiz
Hip fractures in the elderly lead to a 17–30% one-year mortality.
Primary care contributes to healthcare’s environmental footprint but is well positioned to lead sustainability efforts
Reducing low-value care and optimizing prescribing practices will improve patient outcomes and reduce care-associated emissions
Virtual care and operational modifications are practical strategies to minimize emissions from travel, energy use, and consumables
Feasibility varies by practice setting; strategies should be adapted to rural, urban, small team, and interprofessional clinic contexts
Choosing Wisely Canada recommendations support reduction of unnecessary tests and procedures.
Implementing hybrid or virtual care models reduces patient and staff travel, improving access and decreasing carbon emissions, particularly in rural populations.
Simple operational changes, such as using reusable instruments, reducing disposable gloves, and minimizing table paper, can meaningfully lower clinic environmental impact
To have access to full article that these tools were developed for, please subscribe. The cost to subscribe is $80 USD per year and you will gain full access to all the premium content on www.healthplexus.net, an educational portal, that hosts 1000s of clinical reviews, case studies, educational visual aids and more as well as within the mobile app.
Related Terms: Back Health, sustainable healthcare, primary care, environmental impact, climate change mitigation, population health